Perpetuity
by heystella
Summary: Because no matter how much he has hurt her over the years, she always comes right back to him. Ozai/Ursa drabbles.
1. Set Alpha

**Perpetuity  
Set Alpha  
****Pairing:** Ozai/Ursa  
**Rating:** K  
**Summary:** Because no matter how much he has hurt her over the years, she always comes right back to him. Ozai/Ursa drabbles.  
**A/N:** These will be posted in sets of 10; there are 5 sets total. Written for the allatlapairings LJ community. All of the drabbles will follow the same sequence.  
Avatar: the Last Airbender and characters are not my property.

* * *

**45. Meeting**

It is not until Ursa's sixth summer that her parents decide she is old enough to attend a state dinner with them. She acts the part of the perfect child of noble birth -- eats modestly, sits quietly, speaks politely when spoken to, avoids eye contact with her superiors.

After dinner, her mother takes her by the hand. Suddenly she finds herself staring at a pair of pointed shoes, ones not much larger than hers. They belong to a beautiful little boy who stares at her with dark gold eyes in a way that makes her stomach flutter.

"Ursa, this is Prince Ozai."

**23. Again**

After ten years of living out in the colonies, her heart sags when her father tells her that he has been called to relocate back to the Capitol City. Her mood is further dampened when he informs her that they will also be attending a state dinner when they return. They are always so stuffy, those dinners, so forced and restrained -- literally the embodiment of noble life, and the reason why she hates her birth into high society.

Still, she has been groomed and trained to do as told and she goes to the Royal Palace and eats modestly, sits quietly, speaks politely when spoken to, and avoids eye contact with her superiors. But this time around, it is a dinner-dance, and all of the married couples in the room are dancing, all of the available men are approaching the available women, and all of the available women are waiting to be approached.

Perhaps if she slips out now, they won't notice. One step, two steps, three steps backward and she whirls around to meet a young man who takes her hand and presses a kiss whisper-light against the back of it. His gold eyes are just as dark as before, and his voice is deep and rich, wrapping round her like a silk sheet, "It has been far too long, Ursa."

**1. Predicament**

"Prince Ozai," she breathes, and sweeps into a curtsy. "How wonderful to see you again."

The briefest of smiles ghosts his face. "May I have this dance?"

She hesitates. Social dancing has never interested her, and she has never been very good at it to begin with...

"Or if you would prefer, we can simply have a walk," He leans closer, "I have never been fond of dancing myself."

**3. Favour**

"I don't know how I can properly thank you," she repeats. "I can be quite clumsy, unfortunately, and at times even dancing pushes my coordination beyond capacity."

He watches as she speaks without restraining herself like she does in front of the adults. Most of the girls he has considered still titter and act in front of him, but she... she is something different altogether. She carries herself like a lady still, but something about her is alluringly genuine and real.

"If you are sincere about thanking me, will you have dinner with me at the end of the week?"

**27. Noise**

"This is so exciting, Ursa. How will you wear your hair? Are your best robes clean? What will you bring as a gift? The dinner is tonight, why are you still sitting there? You must prepare!"

With a roll of her eyes, she tunes her mother out and thinks of the prince she knows virtually nothing about.

**24. Autumn**

"There is a leaf in your hair," he says to her once on one of their walks, and reaches to her topknot and plucks the offending object. His eyes never leave hers as the leaf drops, and she finds it suddenly hard to breathe.

**14. Slip**

"Surely your parents speak to you about marriage."

"Oh, constantly," she answers (conveniently withholding the fact that it is him that they speak of in such talks), "But I would like to hold onto my freedom for as long as I can."

"That's a shame," he answers thoughtfully, and looks at her. "I don't want to take your freedom away from you, but that is essentially what a proposal does. What to do..."

Her feet no longer function properly as they run into each other at his words. "...I'm sorry, excuse me?"

**25. Master**

"Marry me," he says to her, bold determination written clear in his gaze.

Her mouth dries. "I..."

For the longest time, she doesn't answer, and all the while Ozai becomes more and more impatient. He narrows his eyes. "When the Fire Nation Prince proposes something to you, you answer."

This comment snaps her back to reality, to the truth, that this young man is a prince by name but a tyrant by nature, no matter how charming he can be on other occasions.

Her mouth thins into a line. "Prince Ozai, I must decline."

**21. Disappointment**

She has seen it a few times before: his eyes narrow, his jaw tightens, his eyes proclaim displeasure -- but he remains oddly quiet. These are the worst times, she knows, because the prince is a predictably angry man.

When he becomes silent like this, she knows not what to expect.

"Very well," he answers finally.

**44. Heartless**

When she comes home, her mother sweeps her into a hug. "Ursa, my dear," she weeps, "Your father has been dismissed from his position."

Ursa's blood runs cold. He wouldn't...

"What on earth does Fire Lord Azulon mean by 'knowing our place?' We have done nothing wrong. How could this have happened?"

The despair in her mother's voice pushes Ursa toward the door. "Excuse me, Mother. I... have something I must attend to."


	2. Set Beta

**Perpetuity  
Set Beta  
****Pairing:** Ozai/Ursa  
**Rating:** K+  
**Summary:** Because no matter how much he has hurt her over the years, she always comes right back to him. Ozai/Ursa drabbles.  
**A/N:** These will be posted in sets of 10; there are 5 sets total. Written for the allatlapairings LJ community. All of the drabbles will follow the same sequence.  
Avatar: the Last Airbender and characters are not my property.

* * *

**6. Fear**

She should be angry, furious when she approaches him (just what kind of person would dismiss a man out of spite from another incident?).

Her hands shake, yes, but instead of the familiar white-hot rage that is so commonplace because of her short temper, her blood is icy cold as it courses through. A cold sweat breaks out on her brow, and she drops to her knees and bows humbly in front of the prince. Tries to control her breathing.

"If I agree to your proposal, will my father be permitted to return to work?"

**11. Triumph**

"Raise your head, Ursa," he says, and she obeys after a very long moment. He holds a glass out to her and raises his own to the ceiling. "To your father for regaining his job," he pauses to smirk, "and to our new engagement."

**8. Magic**

His form is perfect -- from what she's seen at least, and she literally sees his skin pulse before he finishes running through his forms and a tremendous wall of flames erupts from the soles of his feet. She must shield her eyes when he stands tall in the sky, harsh and glaring like the sun god himself, and his chest rises and falls in steady rhythm, and he turns to the side and takes a sip of tea.

She has never understood why he insists upon her watching his firebending practice every time, for she has had quite enough exposure to it in her lifetime.

A drop of sweat rolls down his back, and she turns away to wonder the strangeness of it all.

**46. Try**

"I will not say that my brother is a flawless man," Colonel Iroh says to her once over afternoon tea, "As I have never been fond of lying."

She conceals a smile by raising the cup to her lips.

"But allow me to say that my brother has never been so enamored by a woman until he met you," he continues, "Yes, he is insensitive, selfish -- at times, downright cruel -- but you must understand that in order to achieve his ends as the secondborn son, he has had to struggle in that manner, and has since become accustomed to seeing such human interaction as standard."

"He needs to reshape his thinking then," she mutters under her breath without a second thought, and claps a hand over her mouth not a second later.

Iroh smiles in response. "And that is why you are my brother's perfect match. Influence him with your thought. If he will not listen to me, perhaps he will listen to you. There is good in him yet -- I can feel it."

**26. Infiltrate**

"The secret is not in the flick of the wrist, but the movement of the arm as a whole. The brush is merely an extension of your arm, your arm an extension of your body, your body an extension of your soul. Remove your thoughts and release your soul onto the page."

What on earth is she saying? Extension of the soul? Ursa carefully lifts her sleeve, brush poised. A small portion of pink tongue sticks out from the corner of her mouth, and suddenly a snap sounds. Her wrist smarts and the brush is back on its stand.

"You concentrate on your task too much," the teacher says airily. "Try once more."

She resists the urge to roll her eyes when suddenly the teacher whirls around and leaves the room. She glances at the walls and stops at the window, where a figure sits regally, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"I thought you would enjoy a break, Your Highness," he says, holding a hand out to her. Under his arm is some rolled-up cloth and a red box embellished with gold accents.

_There is good in him yet._

Puzzled, she follows him.

**18. Pond**

"This was one of my favorite spots as a child," he says to her, spreading the blanket.

The water ripples at her fingertips, and several turtleducks quack to each other at the opposite end. A soft smile curls her lip. "It's beautiful here."

**42. Crop**

"This is certainly the first time a man has pulled me from my lessons," she remarks, and moves to sit down next to him on the blanket.

"And we shall keep it that way."

"May I ask what you have in the box?"

"Ah," he lifts a small pouch from the box and holds it out to her. "Would you care for some Fire Flakes?"

She swallows.

"That's what I thought," he puts the Fire Flakes down and reaches inside the box for a small wrapped item -- a loaf of some sort.

When the cloth falls away, her eyes widen. "Ash banana bread?"

When she looks up to him again, somehow (though perhaps it's her imagination) the smirk has turned into a smile. "I was told this was your favorite."

**35. Glint**

"Are you free next week? The Ember Island Players are beginning their performance of 'Love Amongst the Dragons.'"

She hesitates. "I... promised a few of my friends that I would go on an excursion with them next week."

"I see." He turns away from her and already she can see the signs -- a certain glare in his eyes, a sneer on his lips -- that show he is angry. He is preparing for one of _those_ speeches -- the ones she dreads for their ability to target all of her weaknesses spot-on, and to unleash the guilt within her in a manner that eats at her conscience from the inside.

Luckily she has learned some damage control through this engagement. "On the other hand, I'm sure they can manage without me."

**16. Rivalry**

She isn't quite sure who to believe -- who is real anymore.

He is charming and confident (if not a bit arrogant) and even surprisingly thoughtful.  
He is also controlling, dark, and possessive.

But it is far too late to go back on her word now.  
And the optimist in her promises that she still can change him.

**50. Lost**

Their wedding is a grand affair -- which comes, of course, as no surprise, as he is the Fire Lord's second son. They feast lavishly, dance with each other and their guests (she manages to leave all of her partners' feet unscathed), she minds her manners, smiles and laughs politely and becomes the image of the perfect princess.

It is not until she catches a glimpse of herself inside her teacup that she realizes she has become precisely what she has desired to avoid in all of her seventeen years.

For at least as a noble, she had some hidden sense of independence, but as Princess, any free spirit she has must not be hidden; in fact it must not exist at all.


	3. Set Gamma

**Perpetuity  
Set Gamma**  
**Pairing:** Ozai/Ursa  
**Rating:** T  
**Summary:** Prompts 13, 19, 9, 36, 34, 12, 4, 49, 28, 17  
**A/N:** Following the same sequence, of course. The quality for these have probably gone down, as I haven't had as much time to write lately, but hopefully they're still decent. Can you see _The Tudors_ influence in this set? =]

* * *

**  
13. Worship**

His hands are gentler than she ever thought they could be. He makes no verbal promises of going slow or not hurting her, but his fingers splay so languidly against her abdomen that she doesn't mind the ache that pulses in her core.

**19. Child**

"Give me a son," he whispers in her ear.

She winces in pain and waits a few moments, staring up into his dark eyes. "Yes. I will."

**9. Flat**

Anxiety rises in her gut as the family physician continues to examine her charts. An eternity passes before she finally looks up and clears her throat. "A stomach flu is the cause of your illness, Princess. It should subside in a few days, but until then, drink plenty of fluids, including a bit of purified salted water."

She swallows. "So... there is no other news yet?"

"Not at this time, no."

The physician takes her leave then and Ursa ignores the stinging in her eyes. Her hands rest just above her navel, and she takes in a breath, wondering how to tell her husband that there is still only one heart beating inside her.

**36. Hide**

She pretends not to hear the muffled moans and screams coming from her husband's chambers. They have become more frequent in the past few years, and every time she hears a voice other than her husband's within those doors, she hurries right past and mentions nothing of it the next morning.

The first few years in their marriage had been lively and amorous, but now... now she cannot even remember the last time she slept inside her husband's quarters.

**34. Boar**

It is an ugly feeling, twisting up inside her, constantly tapping her on the shoulder whenever the occasion calls. She can hear a baby's shrill cry in the nursery or see Ozai escort one of his concubines into a darkly-lit room; no matter what it is she always turns her head to the side to prevent her emotions from running over.

Inwardly she curses that her husband has this effect on her, despite the fact that she had long ago promised herself that he never would. But, as with many other things, it is out of her control -- anger, betrayal, and sadness clash violently inside her, along with an inexplicable longing ebbing underneath.

Jealousy, she decides, seeing her husband eye one of her new maidservants, is the worst thing in the world.

**12. Disgrace**

She knows the incredulity and the disgust he will wear on his face when she asks him. Perhaps he will have her banished for suggesting it. Perhaps she will even be put to death for bringing it up -- but it must be done, for this marriage will not last forever, and her free spirit was never meant for high society in the first place.

"Prince Ozai," she begins on their short walk after dinner, "Given that I cannot seem to bear you any children, is there any possibility of... of terminating this marriage?"

He suddenly stops walking and sharply turns around to face her. She braces herself for an impact to her face, but none comes. Instead, her husband's eyes are darkly possessive -- more likely he is just angry. "There's no possibility of that at all," he answers carefully, "Once you marry into the Royal Family, there is no returning to your home."

**4. Hair**

There are maidservants available to her to brush her hair, but as the years pass, doing it by herself has become somewhat of a nightly ritual. The gold of the handle shines in the candlelight, and methodically she maneuvers the bristles through her long dark hair. This had taken years to grow out -- and as such, it is one of her most precious assets.

After all, it is one of the few things from her old life that she has been allowed to keep.

A quiet knock comes to the door, and she turns. "Who is it?"

A servant opens the door and sweeps into a bow. "Prince Ozai calls for you, Princess."

**49. Warmth**

She approaches the door cautiously, raising a hand to knock. After a moment of hesitation, she lowers her fist and holds it at her side. If she walks through this door, what will she find? It has been too long since she set foot inside his chambers. Will he be courteous and kind, as she knows he is capable of on occasions? Will he fuel the jealousy inside her and cause her to wish she had never married him to begin with?

Her heart beats deafeningly loud inside her ears, and quickly she turns to leave. The door opens, the candlelight from within casting an orange glow to her skin. "Come in," he says quietly, and puts a hand to the small of her back to guide her inside.

Just as he had so many years before, he takes her by the hand and helps her into the bed. After he blows out the candle, he climbs in next to her. The sparse light from the window allows her to see that Ozai does not turn his back to her. "Sleep well," he says.

And just like that, it starts from the bottom of her toes and works its way up, passing through her body and bringing out a flush on her cheeks.

**28. Mirth**

Rarely are the two brothers seen together like this, not sparring, nor fighting -- they simply sit together, sipping tea.

There is a lingering question on Iroh's mind, but... how to word it without sounding nagging or overbearing? "You look very... cheerful for someone who suddenly needed to rush his wife to the hospital wing. Have they named her ailment yet?"

Ozai lifts the cup to his nose and takes in the aroma, then sips carefully. "No, but I think I have an idea." A strange, almost amused smile rests on his face. "Last night, she asked me if she could eat komodo chicken on ash banana bread."

What a peculiar combination -- suddenly realization dawns on the older brother, and he feels a smile curl his lip. "Congratulations."

**17. Auntie**

Her nephew gently sets his small hands on her swollen belly, a curious expression on his face. "Ah! I can feel it moving!"

"In just a few months, the baby will be born and you'll have a new cousin. Won't that be exciting?" Ursa beams, patting his hand.

The young Lu Ten nods emphatically. "I'll teach the child everything I know!"

"I'm looking forward to it."

"But mostly..." the young boy leans forward, "I'm glad that you look so happy recently, Auntie. Dad told me that you wanted a baby for a really long time, and now you're finally having one. And you'll be a great mom, I know, because you're the best auntie in the world."

With moist eyes and a grateful smile, Ursa pulls Lu Ten into a heartfelt hug.


	4. Set Delta

**Perpetuity  
Set Delta**  
**Pairing:** Ozai/Ursa  
**Rating:** T  
**Summary:** Prompts 20, 31, 5, 40, 48, 43, 38, 33, 10, 30  
A/N: I didn't realize that this much time had gone by without my updating this story, haha. And to think that I actually had this chapter written out and ready to be published. Can't say the same for the next one though -- but chapter 5 will be the last installment, so hopefully I'll gather enough inspiration to shovel something out soon.

* * *

**20. Weakling **

Their first child is born at midnight in the dead of winter. This alone is enough for Ozai to become preemptively biased against the child (because only good firebenders are born in summer), but when the baby boy emerges without a sound, without the healthy shriek of a newborn, the prince turns away coldly and speaks not a word.

The maidservants stare at his retreating back in disbelief, and Ursa grabs their attention with her voice laced in desperation. "Please save him," she begs, "Please save my baby boy. Save my Zuko."

**31. Likeness **

By sharp contrast, their second child's cry is so loud that even Ursa winces. But Ozai pays no attention as he waits for the maidservants to clean the child, and he raises the baby girl in the air, his eyes gleaming with delight. This one was born at noon, in the hottest day of the summer.

"Welcome to the world, little Azula," he whispers to the child. "You will grow to be strong, just like the grandfather for whom you were named."

Ursa watches the scene apprehensively. Instinct tells her that her daughter will not grow to be like her grandfather, but instead like the man holding her in his arms at that very moment.

**5. Stab **

It is clear, even before Azula begins firebending, which child Ozai favors.

Ursa bounces said child in her lap and watches as Ozai glares down at their three-year-old son in the courtyard. Her forehead creases in concern.

"If you cannot perform even the simplest of forms, you are unfit to be a firebender," he hisses.

Zuko's shoulders shake as his father storms away. Silently Ursa begs him not to cry.

**40. Brace **

Being part of the Royal Family decrees some level of protocol. Physical contact with children ends after a certain age, and while any contact thereafter is not expressly forbidden, it is looked down upon by certain traditionalists.

Bearing all this in mind, Ursa approaches her son, once again on his hands and knees after a difficult training session with his father.

"Why can't I do it, Mom? Firebending is too hard. I guess I'm a failure after all, just like what Dad said." Her son's voice is weak and desperate. It breaks her heart.

She takes a breath, and in a rare moment of social defiance, Ursa takes Zuko in her arms, embracing him with all of her love. Her son clings to her, burying his face in her shoulder, sobs wracking his small frame. She holds him like that for a while, rubbing his back in a soothing gesture and whispering encouraging words to him.

Because for the longest time, Zuko has needed this, and although she was unable to receive loving support in her early years in the palace, she will at least see to it that Zuko does.

**48. Nail **

She sees it even when Azula is merely three years old, the malice, the adrenaline shooting through her eyes as she sets the tail of a turtleduck on fire. Ursa immediately splashes water on the poor creature as Ozai congratulates her for her progress on flame arrows.

She glances at her daughter wearily. The little girl stares up at her expectantly, clearly desiring the same praise she received from her father just moments ago. That pride, that thirst for power.

It is the same as her father's.

And Ursa's eyes darken. "Don't do that again, Azula."

**43. Rust**

The years have passed and Ursa has witnessed the changes in her husband. What started off as a mere case of envy of his brother Iroh has grown into a fullblown longing to usurp his position.

The greed, the insatiable desire for prestige and power. It decays her husband from the inside until all he can think about, all he can speak about is his obsession with taking Iroh's place.

But she can do nothing more than sit back and wonder when this debilitating greed began. The thought crosses her mind more than once that perhaps it did not begin at any one point in time; perhaps it was there at the beginning.

**38. Fiddle**

She bites the tip of her finger until the skin is white. Her steps back and forth swish her robes to and fro. Her mind spins with anxiety, fear, and anger all at once, and the tumult of emotions begins to cloud her vision.

Azula has told her everything, from Ozai's request to Azulon's rage to his demand for Zuko's life as punishment. Hot tears prick the corners of her eyes, and she dashes them away with her sleeve. Ozai will not hesitate to do as his father has commanded, this much she knows.

For a moment, she stops pacing and breathes deeply. Ideas formulate.

Her eyes are filled with determination when she looks up again. Her precious son will not be a sacrifice. She will make sure of that.

**33. Love**

An amused smirk lifts the corner of Prince Ozai's lip. "You are willing to do this for me?"

Ursa turns away. "I am willing to do this for my son."

**10. Bottle**

She distracts the servants all the while cracking open a small vial and slipping a odorless, colorless liquid into Fire Lord Azulon's teacup.

**30. Exile**

The Fire Lord is found dead in his chamber at 5 o'clock the next morning. Prince Ozai's wife is nowhere to be found.

It is not difficult to draw the connection between the two events. The Fire Sages conclusively state, "For her treason, Ursa of the Fire Nation is hereby banished."


	5. Set Epsilon

**Perpetuity  
Set Epsilon**  
**Pairing:** Ozai/Ursa  
**Rating:** K+  
**Summary:** Prompts 7, 2, 29, 39, 15, 47, 32, 41, 37, 22  
**A/N:** Also following the same sequence. You might be able to tell that these are a bit different - quite a few of them are in Ozai's POV. Other than that... this is the last set. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**7. Ink**

A messenger hawk comes from the Fire Nation Royal Palace every week.

Ursa reads each letter from the Fire Lord with a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. The letters are horribly formal (not that she expects much from the man who essentially had her banished). I trust you are well, rather than how are you? You have my eternal gratitude, instead of a simple thank you.

She throws each letter into the fire after she finishes reading, and cannot help but think how those letters and her own life share the same fate.

**2. Loose**

He tells himself that her banishment was actually a blessing in disguise. He remembers the early stages of their relationship, when she had been reluctant to marry him. In the end, she only agreed to his proposal to save her father's job. She had always been the roaming, exploring type, and she did not like to be tied down.

Now she could wander free as a peasant in the Earth Kingdom without worrying about manners or protocol. It was exactly the life she wanted.

And this was exactly the life _he_ wanted. He was now the Fire Lord, the most powerful man in the world. This was all he needed. There was nothing else missing.

Yet his eyes always linger far too long on the turtleduck pond whenever he passes by.

**29. Secret**

Zuko's eyes narrow as he kneels to Ozai's level. "Where is my mother?"

Ozai will never answer. For all his life he has been Prince Ozai, Fire Lord Ozai, Phoenix King Ozai, only to have all of those titles and all of his belongings stripped from him, and if her location is the only thing that belongs to him now, he will take it to his grave.

**39. Arm**

She waits with bated breath as the scarred stranger steps closer and closer. He is eerily familiar, but Ursa dares not hope. So many times she has caught sight of someone who looks like him from afar, only to meet him up close and face great disappointment.

When the boy stops in front of her, she takes the time to examine the marred side of his face, and despite it, she feels an intimate connection with him. He is exactly how she imagined he would look. Handsome, confident, strong. A gentle gleam in his eyes.

He stoops down, nearly a head taller than her, and pulls her in to him. She returns his embrace.

And she nearly breaks down. Because these arms, this hug tells her that she's found him. The same arms that were once so small, the same arms that could not fully encircle her, the same arms that she left behind so many years ago, are around her once more.

And it only takes a single word from his sob-filled voice to release the tears from her eyes. "Mom."

**15. Portrait**

She is just as beautiful as he remembers her. He watches as she approaches him with a solemn expression, pity in her eyes, and she kneels down just outside of his cell. Already he knows what she is thinking. What's happened to you? Whatever happened to my husband?

There is silver threaded through her hair and her eyes are world-worn and tired, and there is wisdom and understanding on her kind face.

There is also sadness.

And how he wishes he could freeze this moment in time and keep it in his memory forever.

**47. Finger**

Every day, she sits outside his cell, just outside his reach if he were to extend his arms between the bars. He cannot touch her and she knows it and it drives him mad. She says not a word and merely looks at him with that sad, sympathetic look in her eyes.

So many years have gone by without hearing her voice. He speaks to her in the only way he knows. "Have your years in exile made you mute?"

Her fiery attitude is long gone, and while he knows she would have been riled up at that comment when they were teenagers, she remains quiet now, maddeningly silent.

Each day he makes some sort of verbal jest at her, some violent, some less so. And each day, she says nothing. Eventually he gives up trying to anger her into speech, and he also gives up on trying to reach for her. Each day he sits against the dank, dark stone wall of his cell and watches her just as she watches him.

Until one day, just after the guard has brought him his food and he is in the middle of his meal, when she sits much closer to the cell than usual, and wraps her fingers around the bars. He ceases chewing.

"My husband," she whispers helplessly.

He swallows.

**32. Movement**

He closes his eyes at the sensation of her fingers running through his tangled hair. Her hands are gentle, just as he remembers them. He dares not move; the moment might be ruined if he so much as crosses his arms. Instead he opens his eyes again to stare up at his wife, who smiles down at him.

The smile she reserves only for him.

And suddenly they are not in his cell anymore; they are the young married couple of the past. They are not lying underneath a dimly lit prison ceiling, they are lying underneath a giant blossoming tree. He is not feasting on a stale loaf, he is sharing her favorite banana ash bread.

Her fingers trail from his temple to his jaw, and he catches her hand and presses a kiss to her palm. "My love," he says, surprised at how easily the endearment rolls off his tongue.

The guards exchange wary glances and look back at their former Fire Lord, who lies in his cell alone.

**41. Disease**

"Father is... not well."

Ursa's nod is barely perceptible. She has only visited his cell once, and the sight was too pathetic for her to continue seeing him. He was once so fearless and arrogant, but now she can't even recognize him.

In the past she wished for him to be more humble. Somehow she has gotten what she wished for... at the price of his soul. He looked like a hollow shell of himself when she saw him.

She closes her eyes. It shouldn't have ended like this.

**37. Fruitless**

He ignores his son when he comes in to announce that Ursa has left the Fire Nation and will be returning to the Earth Kingdom. He knows his wife, and he knows that she does not lie. She promised to renew her marriage vows with him after his release, and despite Zuko's words, Ozai waits every day, hoping that those footsteps outside the door are small and slight - they never are.

Every day, he waits, and every day, she doesn't return.

**22. Inferno**

She gazes upon the towering pillar of flames with an odd mixture of feelings. Nostalgia, sadness, relief, regret. Her eyes are misty as she feels someone take her hand, and she looks to her side at her son, who hasn't taken his eyes from the fire. She notices that he blinks several times, his mouth drawn in a taut line. She understands how difficult it must be. The Fire Lord must stay strong in front of his people.

The crowd is silent, some weeping, most others keeping dry eyes and solemn expressions.

The flames dance higher and higher, and finally it is the smell that gets to her and she fists her free hand in her white robes and lets the tears roll down her cheeks, and the deluge of emotions flows free.

This is it.

Because no matter how much he has hurt her over the years, she always comes right back to him.

_fin_


End file.
